


Place To Start

by MiniNephthys



Category: Shin Megami Tensei II, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-03
Updated: 2012-09-03
Packaged: 2017-11-13 12:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/503383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aleph sees the new world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Place To Start

Aleph is a cursed man, but not one without resources.

Human lives are an insignificant speck of dust on the timeline of the universe, there and gone before you've realized you've passed your finger over them. If all his future lives are cursed, then he will delay his next one as much as he can.

It was Louis who made the offer, Louis who had held out his hand and said "I can make you into a demon and extend your life. You won't have to fear His power for the moment."

If he had said, "Stay with me," it would have sounded very much the same. Aleph would have accepted either way.

No matter what markings he has now, Aleph dresses the same as he always has, armor and all. No matter what others call him, Aleph calls himself Aleph, the name he came into and now will not throw away so lightly. His heart was already aligned to chaos, and nothing there has changed.

His life continues as it always has. He occupies himself with whatever needs to be done, and wherever demons are, things will need to be done. He speaks with kindness and strikes with resolve. Worlds learn his name, and forget it as time passes and other heroes emerge.

There is a world that has ended, and is in the process of being reborn. Aleph finds himself taking an interest in its fate, more than usual. While Louis may content himself with watching the events that unfold and nudging them along from time to time, Aleph seeks to actively participate. Though he cannot have a Reason, he is still not powerless.

Four humans live on that world. He speaks to the teacher first, appearing out of seemingly nowhere. "What is your Reason?"

Yuko starts, but does not run. "I don't have one yet."

Aleph frowns. "If you want to change the world at all, you'd better find one soon."

"My sponsor will-" she begins, and then falters as he turns away.

"Your sponsor can't give you a purpose. They can help you on your path, but only you can choose it. What comes of blindly believing in a god is not something I would wish on anyone." That said, he leaves to find another.

The instigator of all this, he's almost certain he won't like. "What is your Reason?" he asks anyway.

Hikawa sneers when he speaks. Aleph gets the impression that he does that often. "Silence. A world where man is at one with the world and with God."

"No freedom? No passion, nothing that makes humanity human?" Aleph turns his back on him at once, not even listening for his answer. "I have nothing more to say to you."

He seeks out the boy, who seems annoyed at his arrival. "What is your Reason?"

Isamu sighs. "A world of solitude. In my world, everyone will be apart everyone else, able to create their own environment to their own choosing and never have it be disturbed. Everything that comes from other people to disrupt your life will be gone."

Aleph crosses his arms at that. "Do you believe that anything good can come of other people in your life?"

Isamu shakes his head.

"Then I am sorry for you, but I can't support your Reason." He turns and leaves.

The girl is waiting for him when he arrives. "Come to ask me about my Reason?" Chiaki asks. "Word gets around about a powerful demon like you looking for a side to pick."

"That's right." Aleph waits.

"Power. The strong, the intelligent, the beautiful should be on top. That's the natural order of things, and the eyesores should learn their place." She holds out her hand, as if she expects him to agree just like that.

He doesn't. "That's not quite it."

"Hm?" She raises an eyebrow. "You're the strongest demon I've ever seen; how could you not want to rule?"

"I believe that kindness and mercy are natural as much as anger and cruelty. I believe that the world needs no rules laid down by a God, but I believe that without those rules, human goodness will still survive. And I want nothing to do with ruling. Leading, that's unavoidable, I was made to lead. But I will never accept ruling." He turns his back. "I've found no Reason I can agree with. I'm going to see what else there is."

Aleph wanders a bit until he runs into the boy Louis chose. The Demifiend. Naoki, if he prefers to be called that. He is resting in a bit of shade, and Aleph sits down beside him.

"What do you think of all the Reasons?" he asks, getting straight to the point.

"Well..." Naoki hesitates for just a moment. "They're all stupid."

"I couldn't agree more." Aleph holds his hand out for a shake. "Aleph."

"Naoki." A firm handshake. Naoki's smile would intimidate lesser demons.

Aleph is no lesser demon, and he smiles back when he pulls his hand away, though it soon fades for a more serious expression. "If you can't pick a Reason, what are you going to do? This new world is riding on your choice." When Naoki doesn't answer, Aleph goes on. "I don't have a plan for you either. You'll have to come up with it on your own. But if it's something I can get behind, you'll have all my strength to support you."

"Thanks."

Aleph stands up to go, then pauses. "Actually, I do have one piece of advice for you. Keep your Pixie."

Naoki raises an eyebrow, and his Pixie stops chattering with another demon mid-sentence. "Why?"

"Don't tell Louis I told you this, but there's a part of the Fifth Kalpa that asks for your oldest demon. You don't have to use her before then, just keep your Pixie." Aleph grins and turns to go. "See you later."

Baffled, Naoki waves him off, then looks at his equally confused Pixie. "...I guess it couldn't hurt."


End file.
